The Book Thread

[Varun]

Love Agatha Christie novels so much, read Peril at End House a few days back and currently reading Endless Night. As anyone with an interest in mystery novels might say, magnificent!

 

[Varun]

Endless Night by Christie. Terrific, just terrific. A great amalgamation of crime, thrill, mystery, romance, and a shocking climax, along with a subtle demonstration of human nature, one of those novels which send you into self-introspection for some time.

 

[Themer]

Mein Kampf.

I really can see where he's coming from. Can certainly empathise anywho.

 

[barmyarmy]

Mein Kampf.

I really can see where he's coming from. Can certainly empathise anywho.

What happens at the end?
I've got book club tonight (aren't I cool?) for the Tiger's Wife which was ok...

 

[Themer]

What happens at the end?

Big party.

 

[Varun]

Fahrenheit 451.

Anything more needs to be written?

 

[kashan123999]

Reading the count of Monte Cristo again... and loving it again
Btw Fahrenheit451 is a good book

 

[P Squared]

The Hobbit

 

[Fenil]

Has anyone read this one?

I've heard that its a good one. Would like to have a review before buying if any of you has read it.

 

[swacker]

Boy is the one I have just completed yesterday. It's really an amazing book from Roald Dahl.

 

[Ollie_H]

Has anyone read this one?

I've heard that its a good one. Would like to have a review before buying if any of you has read it.

That's the book Slumdog Millionaire is based off, isn't it? It's absolutely brilliant. I thought the film didn't even come close to doing the book justice.

 

[Varun]

I'm searching for a book which focuses on the Russian Revolution, Stalin's reign and post-Stalin communist Russia - most preferably from a neutral or non-extreme perspective. Any recommendations would be great.

 

[King Cricket]

'Animal Farm' would be my recommendation. It's neither neutral nor non-extreme, but the satire is scathing and the metaphors are striking. That's Orwell at the crest of his literary powers.

 

[barmyarmy]

Animal Farm won't give you any kind of overview just a satirical critique. The first book I read on the period was Geoffrey Hosking's History of the Soviet Union but it's now 20 years old so I doubt it would be as good on the fall of the Soviet Union and perestroika and glasnost.
I did also study this at Uni so I'll look out the books I still have from that. If you go online you can probably get a reading list for a Russian survey course from somewhere.
As for your comment about neutral history, how much you still have to learn
There's no such thing!

 

[Varun]

Although Animal Farm is already on my list, I'd like a book with more factual description of the history as well.

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Okay, didn't see your post, Colin.

Yeah, I'm a little bit naive at best on history of the Russia and general mid-20th century history, although I have a slight idea and factual knowledge of Stalin's reign (1984 helped, also did other books with references or side-references to the topic), Hitler's Nazi Germany, World War II etc. At least enough for some basic conclusions.